Tagged: lax parking scheme

2/20/2013 NOTE I posted this in January- only to discover now that it was bumped into the drafts section. So I’m re-posting it again to see what happens.

____________________________

****UPDATE MARCH 2013****

– I demanded the Park at LAX to repay me the cost of the towing- or get sued- and it worked. I received a check for the full amount for the towing and impound- $460.00! I was entitled to collect 2x the total according to the law but they chose to just pay the actual amount. Better than nothing right?

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! KNOW THE LAW! FIGHT BACK WHEN SOMEONE DOES YOU WRONG- because you CAN win!

I discovered and would like to report/expose a major racketeering scheme that I was a victim of last week.

The group running it happens to be the Police based out of the Pacific Police Station.

This is a major story because they’ve convinced themselves what they do is allowed when its totally not. They openly admitted that its done intentionally.

Because it involves the police- taking legal action will be nearly impossible. The only chance of shutting them down is thru public and media pressure. That can only be generated by big media attention> The media can shut them down by informing the public what the laws are- They are super simple. The police wont be able to lie any more. If your unwilling to go big with the story- please let me know so I can find another station who will.

I have attached some of the laws and such that I found. Whatever it takes to blow this wide open so it will stop.

The victims are targeted specifically for their unique circumstances: travelers who leave their cars in lax’s paid airport parking lots and or any of the many privately run lots around the airport.The scheme being conducted in violation of numerous laws. And being lied about by the police and those involved- claiming what the police are doing is allowed. The manager of at least one lot assisted the police by both placing my car outside their lot-miles away in residential area and by lying to me about the police’s right to search within their lots for cars. The area towing is involved by towing cars they aren’t allowed to tow.

The division supervisor himself told me they search in every single lot for cars with violations to ticket and or have towed away. Once in the impound lot- the tow service has to send a certified letter to the registered address. The cars are charged a daily holding fee and can be auctioned if not quickly claimed. Being that the owners have flown out of town- they never receive the letter saying their car has been impounded. The car’s impounded from the parking service companies are reported to the owners days after they get towed. Even then- the owner is helpless to do anything about it until the return. In my particular case- it appears that my car was placed for collection on a side street- 2 miles away from the lot in a residential area- further delaying how long it takes for the owner to be informed. Viewing where my car was collected from with google earth (despite being outdated by a couple years) shows that there are cars parked randomly up and down that same street. I think its safe to say parking cars there to be discovered and towed has been going on for a long time.

I’m positive that taking legal action against a particular group of people who are known to have compromised ability to respond to said action violates both the constitutional right to equal due process and law against discriminative actions against a specific group of people (those who are known to be unavailable to get car out of impound till they return) Its illegal to file property acquisition law suite to absent parties. You can’t make a person miss court dates because they were never aware they’d been set because they were traveling. Impounding cars known to belong to people who are not around to get them out of impound-

Law states:
1) Cars can only be towed by police request from public parking lots and private parking lots THAT CHARGE NO FEE to park there.2) towing a car from a private parking lot (fee charged) is only permitted if they get a written request be made by the owner/manager of the lot. It has to state the reason the request was made and the reason has to be valid. And the owner/manager is required to be on the property when its being towed.
4) Towing service has to keep the written request on file for 3 years.

5) towing service is required to notify reg. owner by certified signature mail within 48 hours of impounding the car.
______

6) Car park lots/services in LA county are NOT permitted to park customer cars on any streets or in any alleys. Ever. No exceptions.

_____
7) Police can only enter private parking lots to look for bad tags at the lot managers request- and no blanket permission is allowed.
They have to have a specific car/ reason for the request- (blocked access- car that doesn’t belong there).8) Requesting or granting permission to enter lot to seek out and ticket or tow a paid customers car is not permitted,

By legal definition- using illegal methods, and or cooperation with those who are doing it: for financial gain is defined as racketeering. Doesn’t matter if the group doing it is the LAPD or that they do it many times a day- openly and admittedly to thousands of people. It’s still illegal.

_____________________________________
My Experience: I booked on line with Cheapairportparking.org. The booking was for
The Park at LAX – Outdoor Valet
11220 Hindry ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90045

The reservation was for the 23rd of Dec 2012 thru 11pm on Jan 1st.
My daughter (15) and I left the car aith them and flew to Maui to have christmas with my family.

Our return flight time was 2:35pm on the 1st.
At 11:30 am, right before going to the airport to catch our flight on the 1st I get called by the The Park- telling me that my car had been towed and was now in police impound because my registration sticker was expired. He went into great detail about how the police are allowed to search all the car lots for offenders- ticketing and towing as they please. How they have access to the indoor lots as well.

They said they could take me to a car rental place when I landed if that would help. When I complained that I was getting on the plane for the next 5 hours- unable to reserve a rental car- they offered to try reserve a car for me. He (keith) called back a little later saying how holiday rental pricing was like $100 a day/ no cars available. I said I cant afford it- he offered to wave the parking fee for keeping my car there ($89). and said he has a friend at a rental lot and would check with him. Called back to say he arranged it-and would be $35 a day. Took my credit card info and said they closed at 11pm.

We arrived and it took over an hour to get picked up after calling them. He took me to a random place that wasn’t a car rental place- they xroxed my card and ID then had me sign a form that showed me as the co-driver of the car. It had been rented out by someone else? It was already parked on the street in front. Had half a tank of gas(rentals always have a full tank) I was told I had to return it within 2 days.

Next day I got my car registered as required for release from impound and drove to the Pacific Police Station. Arrived at 2:20- sign on door to traffic detective office says open from 7:30 to 3. It was closed. Officer at desk said they will be back in a few minutes. Waited until 3:05 and asked to be seen because I’d driven 60 miles to get there to pick up my car- A few minutes later an officer opened the door and was introduced as the traffic divisions supervisor. While talking to him another woman arrived to get her car out of impound. He told both of us how the police are allowed to enter the airport parking service lots to look for violations- Towing cars that qualify to get towed. He went on to say “its what we do to generate revenue! laughing about it. He again explained that they are allowed to look anywhere they want- included inside gated car lots. No car is off limits. He indicated they search the regular airport lots as well.

He handed the details sheet to me. It showed that the car was towed from 99th Hindry ave. That’s a side street in a residential small apartment complexes neighborhood located about 2 miles away from the Park at LAX location. It had been towed on the 28th. Which means the Park at LAX waited 4 days to tell me it had been towed. Bruffy’s informed me over the phone that I owed $453 (give or take a dollar) to get my car back. Didn’t matter that I only was told late the afternoon the day before.

I was to pick up the car here:

Bruffy’s Del Rey Tow, Area 14
Pacific Division
Contact: Kevin Brough
4140 Glencoe Avenue Marina Del Rey, CA 90292My car was up in the air on a rack. I paid the money and asked for a copy of the fees. While in the office waiting the 5 minutes it took to process the car papers- he received 4 calls by the police ordering tow service. 3 cars were towed in. The impound lot had maybe 50 + cars in it. (full) Business is booming!

I then waited 2 hours for the The Park guys to come get the rental car. The whole time I kept being told they were on there way- would be there in a couple minutes. He claimed he had to rent a car for the drivers to use to come get the other car. They arrived in the company car. Asked for my credit card number again- I said no- because they had already gotten it 3 times. I returned the rental car with a full tank.

When I got home the ‘grateful for their assistance’ feeling wore off and I started questioning things like why my car was left in a neighborhood and why the impound lot said they were unable to locate me because my reg address was in Hawaii- so if they didn’t know where the car came from- how did the The Park get notified it was one of their cars – unless they knew all along. The Park didn’t have any tags, papers- anything on the car that would lead them back to The Park.

A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class.

the right to due process,

equal and fair treatment by law enforcement

___________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

California Vehicle Code

Division 11 Chapter 11

Division 11 – Rules of the Road

Chapter 11. Parking Lots

Table of Contents for Chapter 11

of Division 11 of the California Vehicle Code

Section Number Section Title

22950 Offstreet Parking Facilities: Regulation by City of Los Angeles

22951 Street and Alley Parking

22952 Towing or Removal: Violations

22953 Removal Prohibited

_____________

Section 22950

Any city having a population of over 2,000,000 inhabitants shall regulate offstreet parking facilities within its jurisdiction in a manner not inconsistent with any provisions of this chapter.

_________________

Section 22951. Street and Alley Parking

No operator of any offstreet parking facility shall park the vehicle of a patron of the facility in any street or alley. (my car was towed from where it was found- parked on a street -2 miles away from the lot it was supposed to be parked in)

________________________________________________

Section 22952. Towing or Removal Violations

Every person engaged in the operation of off-street parking facilities is guilty of a violation, who:

(a) Tows or removes or authorizes the towing and removal of any vehicle within 24 hours of the expiration of the period for which a particular fee is charged. This subdivision shall not affect or limit any parking lot operator from charging parking fees in accordance with his posted schedule for the additional time such vehicle is parked.

(doesnt apply to my case- but may apply to many others)

________________________________________________________

V C Section 22651 Circumstances Permitting Removal

(o) (1) When a vehicle is found or operated upon a highway, public land, or an offstreet parking facility*** under the following circumstances:

(A) With a registration expiration date in excess of six months before the date it is found or operated on the highway, public lands, or the offstreet parking facility.

(this was my cars violation)

(5) As used in this subdivision, “offstreet parking facility” means an offstreet facility held open for use by the public for parking vehicles and includes a publicly owned facility for offstreet parking, and a privately owned facility for offstreet parking if a fee is not charged for the privilege to park and it is held open for the common public use of retail customers.

(MEANING- IT DOES NOT INCLUDE CARS FOUND IN LOTS THAT YOU PAY TO PARK IN

V C Section 22658 Removal From Private Property

(a) The owner or person in lawful possession of private property, including an association of a common interest development as defined in ( ) Sections 4080 and 4100 of the Civil Code, may cause the removal of a vehicle parked on the property to a storage facility that meets the requirements of subdivision (n) under any of the following circumstances:

(1) There is displayed, in plain view at all entrances to the property, a sign not less than 17 inches by 22 inches in size, with lettering not less than one inch in height, prohibiting public parking and indicating that vehicles will be removed at the owner’s expense, and containing the telephone number of the local traffic law enforcement agency and the name and telephone number of each towing company that is a party to a written general towing authorization agreement with the owner or person in lawful possession of the property. The sign may also indicate that a citation may also be issued for the violation.

(2) The vehicle has been issued a notice of parking violation, and 96 hours have elapsed since the issuance of that notice. (meaning if no one responds to the ticket within 4 days- they are allowed to impound it. Of course they wont be responded to- the owners are out of town. Its a total set up. Note that it says parking violations- not other violations like police tell you is allowed)

(3) The vehicle is on private property and lacks an engine, transmission, wheels, tires, doors, windshield, or any other major part or equipment necessary to operate safely on the highways, the owner or person in lawful possession of the private property has notified the local traffic law enforcement agency, and 24 hours have elapsed since that notification.

(b) The tow truck operator removing the vehicle, if the operator knows or is able to ascertain from the property owner, person in lawful possession of the property, or the registration records of the Department of Motor Vehicles the name and address of the registered and legal owner of the vehicle, shall immediately give, or cause to be given, notice in writing to the registered and legal owner of the fact of the removal, the grounds for the removal, and indicate the place to which the vehicle has been removed. If the vehicle is stored in a storage facility, a copy of the notice shall be given to the proprietor of the storage facility. The notice provided for in this section shall include the amount of mileage on the vehicle at the time of removal and the time of the removal from the property. If the tow truck operator does not know and is not able to ascertain the name of the owner or for any other reason is unable to give the notice to the owner as provided in this section, the tow truck operator shall comply with the requirements of subdivision (c) of Section 22853 relating to notice in the same manner as applicable to an officer removing a vehicle from private property.

___________________________________

(l) (1) (A) A towing company shall not remove or commence the removal of a vehicle from private property without first obtaining the written authorization from the property owner or lessee, including an association of a common interest development, or an employee or agent thereof, who shall be present at the time of removal and verify the alleged violation,

(B) The written authorization under subparagraph (A) shall include all of the following:

(i) The make, model, vehicle identification number, and license plate number of the removed vehicle.

(ii) The name, signature, job title, residential or business address and working telephone number of he person, described in subparagraph (A), authorizing the removal of the vehicle.

(iii) The grounds for the removal of the vehicle.

(iv) The time when the vehicle was first observed parked at the private property.

(v) The time that authorization to tow the vehicle was given.

(C) (i) When the vehicle owner or his or her agent claims the vehicle, the towing company prior to payment of a towing or storage charge shall provide a photocopy of the written authorization to the vehicle owner or the agent.

(iii) The towing company shall also provide to the vehicle owner or the agent a separate notice that provides the telephone number of the appropriate local law enforcement or prosecuting agency by stating “If you believe that you have been wrongfully towed, please contact the local law enforcement or prosecuting agency at [insert appropriate telephone number].” The notice shall be in English and in the most populous language, other than English, that is spoken in the jurisdiction. (I never received this)

(D) A towing company shall not remove or commence the removal of a vehicle from private property described in subdivision (a) of Section 22953 unless the towing company has made a good faith inquiry to determine that the owner or the property owner’s agent complied with Section 22953.

(E) (i) General authorization to remove or commence removal of a vehicle at the towing company’s discretion shall not be delegated to a towing company or its affiliates except in the case of a vehicle unlawfully parked within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or in a fire lane, or in a manner which interferes with an entrance to, or exit from, the private property.

(3) A towing company shall maintain the original written authorization, or the general authorization described in subparagraph (E) of paragraph (1)(fire hydrant) and the photograph of the violation, required pursuant to this section, and any written requests from a tenant to the property owner or owner’s agent required by subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1), for a period of three years and shall make them available for inspection and copying within 24 hours of a request without a warrant to law enforcement, the Attorney General, district attorney, or city attorney.

(4) A person who violates this subdivision is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than three months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.

(5) A person who violates this subdivision is civilly liable to the owner of the vehicle or his or her agent for four times the amount of the towing and storage charges.

(m) (1) A towing company that removes a vehicle from private property under this section shall notify the local law enforcement agency of that tow after the vehicle is removed from the private property and is in transit

(c) Prior to paying any towing, recovery, or storage related fees, a vehicle owner or his or her agent shall have the right to all of the following:

(1) Receive his or her personal property, at no charge, during normal business hours. Normal business hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., inclusive, except state holidays.

(I was told by the towing /impound lat that I was not allowed to remove anything from the car until I paid for everything and the car was released by the police- that the police owned the car til they sign its release- total lies! I asked if I could get my GPS out of it cuz I didn’t know how to get everywhere to deal with all this)

(2) Retrieve his or her vehicle during the first 72 hours of storage and not pay a lien fee.

__________________________________________________

EMAIL

Replies to my complaints to the booking service that sent me to The Park parking service.

Attached are photos of their website claiming cars are kept inside secure lots with 14 hour security. They provide photos of the lots. Again- my car was towed from a neighborhood street 2 miles away- and was notified 4 full days after it was already towed.

On our website we present information that was provided to us by parking lots that have chosen to use our platform for their business. If any particular lot did not keep its promise of security, we can not take responsibility for their inadequate representations. Please, contact the parking lot management directly.

Sincerely,

Lisa Adams

CheapAirportParking.org

On Sun, Jan 6, 2013 at 6:45 AM, I wrote:

I know that- however- you are responsible for screening the companies you book the rentals to. You clearly state that your lots are secure/enclosed and feature 24 hour lot supervision. My car was left on the side of the road- no where near their lot. You are responsible because you sent me to a place that didn’t provide the service you claimed I’d receive. Your responsible for false advertising. For using lies to gain customers under false pretenses- That’s totally illegal.

You cannot tell people their car will be inside a secure lot unless it really will be. Can’t say there will be 24 hour security unless its the truth. The only reason I chose to book thru you was because I wanted my car safe in a lot with security.

You failed to provide the services I agreed to. My car was left on the side of the road.

Had there been any supervision at all- I would have been notified by them as soon as it was towed-

not 5 days later! Impound fees are charged daily. Because you lied- I was charged for 5 days of impound. You are absolutely responsible for those fees. I’m a Certified Paralegal. I know the law.

Bottom line- you are responsible for providing the services you state on your website- It’s your job to only book with lots that provide the services you claim on your site. You screwed up. They never did offer those services- they dont have a gated lot or security. Never did. Your using them anyway. Their company car has your name on it.

2/20/2013

UPDATE:

I went to The Park and confronted them. First the guy claimed he just started working there 5 days before- then he mentioned how they helped me get a rental car- proving he was there when it all happened. I provided them a printout of all the rules and laws along with a settlement agreement for 2x the impound charge- less what they paid for the rental car and less for the days my car was at their lot. They left a message on my phone a few days later saying they agreed to pay it and that a check would be ready by the next day- monday- or to let them know what I wanted to do- I asked to have the check mailed to me since I live over 50 mines away. That was 2 weeks ago- no check has arrived. They are not responding to my messages. Their agreement to settle proves they know they were responsible. If I have to file a civil law suit- they will likely be charged a $2000 violation fee for parking my car on the street to the courts along with paying me the full 2x the impound cost.

The excuse they told me for why my car was ever parked on the street:

First they tried to claim the location was outside a storage warehouse- even tho I kept telling him I was just there- and there are no buildings at all. All that was there was another victim’s car- with a busted tail light and tickets in the wind shield. Same exact parking spot! (5 days of tickets with no response and or car is still there=they get to impound the car)

They said they transfer cars between 2 locations- their lot and a storage building nearby on Century. That they have to cycle the cars around-as cars get delivered and or need to be picked up- and that during this exchange process- they park cars along the street while rearranging whats inside. Sounds reasonable -till you factor back in that where it was parked was 2 miles away- no where near any storage buildings- and that it was towed on saturday just after lunch and they didn’t call me about it until Tuesday afternoon. If they left it on the street while they switched around the cars in a warehouse- they would have noticed right away that it had been towed. It wasn’t left on the street temporarily. It was left where no one checked on it until Tuesday.

The following photos are viewable by everyone using Google maps. Type in 99th and Hindry Ave. Go into street view and look down by Glasgow Pl. Parked on the side right where the street starts is both a patrol car AND an LAX partrol car. Together on the same street- just 1 block down from 99th, where the cars are left parked on the side of the street.

Why would either car be there. Notice that the cop car is parked facing the wrong way and too close to the intersection.

Move to up by 99th and look down 99th street. There are no buildings there- yet cars are parked along there. The dark red car lacks a california lic plate.

While they can’t quite be read- there are signs along both 99th and Hindry- While ones near the end of streets typically mark the stretch where parking is allowed. Those in the middle of such a stretch usually limit how long you may park there.

I’m going to go down and check it all out. Maybe do a stake out. I reported this all to Fox News but they haven’t broken the story yet.